TIPS FOR RECRUITING PEOPLE REMOTELY

Our ‘new way of work’ during these uncertain and challenging times is encouraging employers to look for innovative and effective ways to recruit and hire people. Here are our tips to help you adapt your interviewing style to engage and interview candidates successfully.   

We find most employers in Australia prefer the face to face interview as a vital part of the recruitment process. For the rest of the world, in particular USA and Asia, a large percentage of employers have been hiring staff remotely over the past 5 years.

As we work through new ways of managing staff, productivity and results we are finding that today more than ever, employers need to be certain that they are engaging with and hiring the best possible people in the market. And aside from the COVID-19 crisis, the pace of hiring talent has sped up dramatically. As the ‘war for talent’ continues, employers are becoming more conscious of the need to move quickly during the recruitment process to achieve successful and highly efficient recruitment results.

So whether your office is open or working remotely, here are some useful tips to help you continue to achieve successful hiring results;

Review Your Questions – during a video interview, candidates are unable to see the work environment or get a sense of the culture, brand and energy within the business. Not being able to physically visit your office for an interview will require you to be more descriptive about your business, the people, culture and what’s expected from the team. Being frank and honest is important to ensure new employees are not in for any surprises when they start a new role, and in turn helps reduce turnover within the first 6 months.

Brief candidates about what to expect – It’s important to make candidates aware that the recruitment interview experience will be a little different. Help them understand what a live video interview looks like by setting up expectations during the engagement process to help them prepare for the remote interview.

Manage the experience – Consider the experience for the candidate and manage your surroundings to ensure you have the best possible environment and technology to conduct a good video interview.   Recruiting via video can be unpredictable and communication can be awkward, so check the position of your laptop, sound and camera. Professionalism is also key when representing your brand during a video interview, so ensure your background and anything visual on camera represents a professional image. Ensure you have strong internet connection and remove distractions on and off screen.

Calming candidate nerves – It’s important to consider that a person’s energy is drained when you place them in front of a camera!    So more than ever, it’s critical to ‘be real’ and considerate from the moment you start the video interview. Ice breaking comments can help calm nerves and make sure to ask if the candidate is able to hear you clearly and able to make good eye contact.  By being upfront and checking in during the interview, you will help achieve a better experience and give both parties a good chance to present themselves and make a thorough assessment.

Encourage Candidates to Share Thoughts – During the video interview, its valuable to assess how candidates feel about remote inductions and/or working remotely. What level of support are they expecting and are they aware of the challenges, to help understand what level of support they will be needing.  Ask how they’re feeling about the COVID-19 situation and any other concerns.

Pre Recorded Video – This option provides another way to help assess a candidate’s communication and presentation skills prior to a more formal video interview. A brief pre-recorded video with 5 to 8 questions can help you better understand a candidates personality, humour, communication style, capability, hobbies, interests and what motivates them.

Remote Onboarding – Today’s technology allows us to complete relevant documentation online. Consider DocuSign or other e-signature platforms to securely complete Day 1 in the remote office environment. Laptop, tools, phones etc. required for the job can be delivered to the remote location. One on one meetings, group introductions and training sessions can be organised via video conferencing to help work through the Onboarding and Induction process successfully. Remember to check in on a regular basis to gain valuable feedback and thoughts along the way.